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England coach Peter Moores admits there will have to be something of a selection punt for the second Test against Sri Lanka.

With swing bowler Matthew Hoggard almost certainly ruled out of the match, which begins at the SSC on Sunday, the tourists are likely to choose either Steve Harmison, whose international performances have been erratic of late, or Stuart Broad, untried at this level.

“Whenever you play someone in a Test match you never quite know,” said Moores. “Sometimes in a run of Test matches it is a bit easier to know what you are going to get. Certainly with Steve or Stuart there will always be an element of risk on how they handle the situation.”

He added: “Ultimately the real challenge for Steve will be when he pulls an England shirt on and plays for his country again.

“He will have questions about himself which he will want to answer, if he gets the opportunity in the second Test.

“Steve is an experienced Test cricketer; we know instantly we have got someone who creates bounce and creates pressure, somebody that they won’t like to face because they know of his reputation.”

Although there is one more net session to go, Moores is prepared for the fact that Hoggard, who batted but could not bowl on Friday, “is not going to be fit”.

Twenty-nine-year-old Harmison has in excess of 200 Test wickets, having once been rated the best bowler on the planet, but has recently struggled to muster the menace that shot him there.

Broad, 21, has yet to make his Test bow but would add depth to the batting and was a success in Sri Lanka in the one-day series.